0:14Skip to 0 minutes and 14 secondsWelcome to week 1, where will be focusing on the Zika virus. Over the course of this week we'll introduce a range of thinking and topics, highlighting the ambiguous and worrying nature of the current outbreak. Our first activity is concerned with the Zika virus

0:29Skip to 0 minutes and 29 secondsitself: what is it, where did it come from, where is it now, what are the vectors, and what are the similarities with other vector borne diseases? Zika is currently an understudied virus and that means there's a great deal of uncertainty surrounding its transmission and its effects. Our second activity will highlight what we do and don't know about how people are affected by the virus, the tragic link between Zika and microcephaly in newborns, and our current approaches to diagnosis and treatment. Finally, we'll consider Zika in context, thinking about the impact of vector borne diseases globally, discussing our own concerns regarding the spread of the virus, and reflecting on how we can be better prepared for potential epidemics in the future.

Welcome to Week 1

Welcome to Week 1, where we will focus on the Zika virus and the current public health emergency.
One of our biggest problems with Zika is that we don’t know enough about it. Until recently the virus has been understudied compared to a number of similar diseases, and this means that there is a great deal of uncertainty surrounding its transmission and effects on people.

What will we learn?

Over the course of this week we will:

Investigate the Zika virus itself. What is it, where has it come from, where is it now, and what are its vectors?

Discover how people are affected by the disease, in addition to our current approaches to diagnosis and treatment.

Reflect upon Zika in context with other vector-borne diseases, discussing our concerns relating to the spread of virus and how we can be more prepared for epidemics in future.